Which Turkish national park is paired with the Rock Sites of Cappadocia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Which Turkish national park is paired with the Rock Sites of Cappadocia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The answer is Göreme Historical National Park.

Located in central Turkey’s Nevşehir Province, Göreme Historical National Park forms the historic and natural core of Cappadocia. UNESCO inscribed it in 1985 under the combined name “Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia,” recognizing both its dramatic landscape and cultural heritage.

The scenery was shaped by volcanic ash that hardened into soft tuff, later sculpted by water and wind. Harder lava layers protected some formations, producing Cappadocia’s famous fairy chimneys, pinnacles, valleys and rock towers. The park covers nearly 100 square kilometres.

Its human history is equally distinctive. From the fourth century, Christian anchorites and monastic communities carved cells, churches and chapels into the rock. Underground settlements later provided shelter and connected living spaces, storerooms and places of worship. The UNESCO designation refers to this broader cultural landscape, not merely the modern town of Göreme.

The park’s official name can appear in slightly different forms, including Göreme National Park, but Göreme Historical National Park is the canonical answer used here.